1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an image reading device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
Known image forming apparatuses include an image reading device that guides light of a light source, which is reflected from a document surface of a document on a contact glass, to an image pickup device, to read an image, while moving a traveling body, which includes at least the light source, in a sub scanning direction along the document surface of the document on the contact glass.
The traveling body moves along rails provided in a housing that houses the traveling body, the image pickup device, and the like, so that the document is scanned.
In such an image reading device, in a case in which the rigidity of the housing is low, when the image reading device is carried for the placement of the image reading device, the housing may be twisted or bent. Additionally, when the image reading device is detached from the image forming apparatus to be carried outside the apparatus for maintenance of the image reading device, or the like, the housing may be twisted or bent.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP 2001-045199-A (Japanese Patent No. 3781252-B) describes an image reading device, in which a housing is reinforced by rail members having rails on which a traveling body travels.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views illustrating an image reading device 200 described in JP 2001-045199-A.
The image reading device 200 described in JP 2001-045199-A has a housing 207 that is formed with an opening 206 on an upper end surface, and a traveling body 208 that is housed reciprocally in a direction orthogonal to a paper surface in the housing 207. Additionally, the image reading device 200 has a contact glass 209 that is mounted on the housing 207 and covers the opening 206.
The housing 207 has a rectangular bottom surface 210, side surfaces 211 that rise from the four sides of this bottom surface 210, and a box-shaped base member 213 with an open upper end, in which the bottom surface 210 and each of the side surfaces 211 form an L-shaped member 212. Additionally, the housing 207 includes a pair of rail members 214 that have rail surfaces for allowing the traveling body 208 to travel. One of the rail members 214 is fixed to one end in a main scanning direction of the base member 213, and the other of the rail members 214 is fixed to the other end in the main scanning direction of the base member 213, the main scanning direction being a left and right direction in the figure.
Each of the rail members 214 has a part that has a first vertical surface 215, a second vertical surface 216, and a first horizontal surface 217 connecting respective one ends of these vertical surfaces 215 and 216, and is bent in a crank shape. Additionally, the rail member 214 has a second horizontal surface 218 that is formed on the other end side of the second vertical surface 216 and bent so as to vertically face the first horizontal surface 217 in parallel. The first vertical surface 215 and the first horizontal surface 217 form an L-shaped member 219. The first horizontal surface 217 of each rail member 214 is the rail surface of the traveling body 208, and the second horizontal surface 218 is a placing surface of the contact glass 209.
In the image reading device described in JP 2001-045199-A, the rail members 214 are fixed to the base member 213 in the following manner.
FIG. 2 is a diagram for illustrating the fixing of one of the rail members 214. As shown in FIG. 2, a projecting fixing part 220 formed on the lower edge of the first vertical surface 215 of the rail member 214 is inserted into a hole 221 formed on the bottom surface 210. Then, the fixing part 220 that projects outside the housing from the hole 221 of the bottom surface 210 is bent, and the bent part is welded, so that the rail member 214 is fixed to the bottom surface 210 of the base member 213. Furthermore, the second vertical surface 216 and the side surfaces 211 are overlapped, and the overlapped portion is fixed by welding, screws, or the like. Consequently, the rail member 214 is fixed also to the side surface 211 of the base member 213.
Thus, the respective rail members 214 are fixed to the base member 213, so that the L-shaped members 212 on the both ends of the base member 213, and the L-shaped members 219 of the rail members 214 form square pipe-shaped members 222 on the both ends of the housing 207, as shown in FIG. 1. The rigidity of the housing 207 is enhanced by the square pipe-shaped members 222. Therefore, when the image reading device is carried, twist or bending is unlikely to occur. As a result, the deterioration of image reading performance, which is caused by the aforementioned twist or bending of the housing 207 is prevented.